Froio Takes the Reins at Robins Kaplan as New Managing Partner

Tony Froio has been elected to move into two top leadership roles that are being unified for the first time, trial firm Robins Kaplan announced Tuesday.

Froio will replace executive board chair Ronald Schutz and managing partner Steven Schumeister, who has served in that role since 1997. Froio will be the first person at the 200-lawyer firm to hold both titles. Schutz and Schumeister, both partners, will each continue to serve on the firm’s executive board.

Anthony Froio

Co-chair of Robins Kaplan’s corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice, Froio has also served as managing partner for the firm’s Boston office for two decades, a role that will be taken over by James Kitces, the firm said.

Froio said in an interview that having one person serve as executive board chair and managing partner will create efficiencies and makes sense given the strength of the executive board and C-suite leaders.

He said the firm will focus on building out several different practices, including its healthcare fraud litigation, intellectual property and patent litigation, and antitrust litigation groups.

The firm is also open to adding to the seven existing US offices throughout the US. He said he’s reluctant to say exactly where the Minneapolis-founded firm may root itself next, as the decision “will be driven by where we find the talent.”

He said that although he’ll continue to work from the Boston office, he plans to travel to its other offices on a regular basis.

Froio added that for the time being, the firm plans to stick with its return-to-office plan for lawyers to be in the office at least three days per week. “That’s been met with some good success,” he said. “It’s worked so far for us.”

Froio has represented major corporate clients in complex commercial litigation, bankruptcies, and patent and trademark infringement cases, among other matters while at Robins Kaplan. Those clients have included Pitney Bowes Inc. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., according to Bloomberg Law dockets.

The firm is also involved with the antitrust litigation against property management software company RealPage.

“His experience makes him uniquely qualified to lead Robins Kaplan, and his open and transparent leadership style will make him highly effective,” said Schutz in a written statement from the firm.

Robins Kaplan ranked 176th in the most recent American Lawyer 200 survey, with about $165 million reported in gross revenues in 2022. Profits per equity partner that year reached more than $1.2 million.